Dorothy Bernice Peters

Dorothy Peters, 102, of Belton, TX, died on January 20, 2024. A memorial service will be on Saturday, January 27th, at 11:00 am at the First United Methodist Church of Belton.

Dorothy is not a name written in the Bible, although one wishes it were. It combines two words from Greek, “gift” and “God”, or “Gift from God”. To those who knew and loved her, Dorothy Peters was truly a gift from God.

Dorothy Bernice Tucker was born on January 23, 1921, in the Pleasant Hill community near Cisco, Texas. Her father L.W. Tucker was a farmer and her mother, Bela Poe Tucker, the daughter of a banking family in Cisco. Dorothy, her brother R.L., and her parents moved from the country into town, and she attended public schools there, graduating in 1938.

While at business college in Tyler, Dorothy met Burnis Peters (“B.C.” or “Pete” to everyone who knew him), and over sodas at the drug store, recalling an image from the popular culture at the time, they met and fell in love. They were married on July 26, 1941, a marriage of 74 years at the time of our father’s passing in 2015.

Before 1941 ended, on December 7, to be exact, the married lives of millions of Americans were changed almost unimaginably. Our father enlisted in the United States Navy, serving in Bermuda, Hawaii, and throughout the Pacific, and our mother returned to Cisco to live with her parents and sons, Charles and Kenneth. Back home from the war, B.C. and Dorothy moved to Camp Swift, near Bastrop, and from there they came to what was then Camp Hood in 1947.

After 1950, Copperas Cove was their home for the rest of their lives together, and in 1951 a daughter, Andrea, was born. Having and raising a family was our mother’s heart’s desire and her true vocation, and to her children she gave, in a lovely phrase from scriptures, “the imperishable jewel of a quiet and gentle spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

Dorothy spent her last years in Belton, nearer her children. She was a faithful member of the Grace United Methodist Church of Copperas Cove and Belton, the local chapters of the Eastern Star, and various social and charitable organizations. Always modest about her abilities, she was an avid reader with a thorough knowledge of the Bible, a wonderful cook, a good games player, especially in Texas 42, and the most affectionate lover of pets, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

She is survived by her son Charles Peters and his wife Susan; their children Douglas, Jonathan, and Matthew; and Douglas’s children Susanna and Alden; Jonathan’s children Naomi and Bridget; by her son Kenneth Peters and his wife Marilyn; and their children, John and Meredith, Meredith’s children, Alaina, Rhys, and Claire; her daughter Andrea Cline and her son Jeff; by Jeff’s children Makenzie and Logan, and Makenzie’s daughter, Stella. Sadly, Andrea’s son Brandon preceded his grandmother in death.

The family would like to thank Park Place Manor and Gentiva Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First United Methodist Church of Belton or a charity of one’s choice.